Dust pollution can be reduced by planting trees on road dividers, as has already been seen in the area around the Padma Bridge, and the Department of Environment has been instructed to take effective steps to control pollution next winter.

Environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said this as chief guest at a consultation workshop on the "Bangladesh Clean Air Project" held at the Department of Environment in Agargaon on Wednesday (29 January).

Saying that reducing air pollution in Bangladesh will take time, she said it depends on economic capacity, the pattern of development, and communication and transport systems. "Thirty to 35 per cent of our air pollution comes from outside the country and 28 per cent from power plants. So it is essential that we have a clear action plan to control pollution," she said.

She added that pollution cannot be reduced without improving fuel quality and raising refinery capacity. Even though neighbouring countries have improved their refineries, their cities still top the lists of the most polluted. So Bangladesh too must control pollution through long-term planning.

The environment adviser said the project will be meaningful only when implementation brings visible progress in reducing pollution. It is not enough merely to monitor and highlight the deteriorating situation; effective steps must be taken. The Department of Environment will launch a hotline where people can report air pollution during the winter months.

Stressing the need for tough economic decisions to cut air pollution, she said effective action must be taken against polluting brick kilns, and some steel factories may have to be shut for two to three months in winter if necessary. The decision to keep buses more than 20 years old off the roads must also be enforced effectively.

Rizwana Hasan said the project must be designed so that people can see an improvement in air quality. If dust pollution can be cut by 13 per cent and industrial emissions controlled, significant progress can be achieved.

She said the World Bank has already joined the project, and other development partners also need to be involved so that it meets the country's real needs and brings practical solutions for the people.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.